"He was terrific," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He hit a couple of balls right on the screws against a very, very good pitcher. It was a nice 'how do you do' for me to put him in his first start of the season at the big-league level against (Zack) Greinke.

"We knew when we got in here (in L.A.) we weren't going to get a cakewalk -- a starter that was going to be an easy, comfortable walk back to the big leagues. They had three quality guys going. He handled it extremely well."

Lutz was OK with facing an ace.

"Some guys were saying, 'Don't you think it's messed up they run you out there against Greinke?'" Lutz said. "I was like, 'Why? He's got to throw the ball over the plate like everyone else.'"

This is Lutz's second stint in the big leagues.

"We like him," Price said. "He's an athlete and he brings energy. He likes to play. He goes hard every minute he's on the field. He works hard when he's not in the lineup. He does a lot of nice things. I was really happy for him and us for that performance."

Lutz, 25, was back out of the starting lineup Wednesday with left-hander Clayton Kershaw starting. But the Reds will face three right-handers in a row in Arizona.

It may be time to give Lutz a shot. He hit .360 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 23 games at Double-A. He has plus-power and impressive speed for a 6-foot-3, 251-pound guy. With Votto out, Brayan Pena has done a nice job at first.

But Lutz could provide the spark this offense needs. Price wouldn't say how much Lutz will start in the Arizona series.

"I think he'll play," Price said. "I don't know exactly how much at this point in time. I haven't looked ahead to the Diamondback series. The thing is with Joey out it frees up some opportunities for playing time at first. I love what Brayan Pena brings when he's in the lineup.

"It's not like there's a glaring hole, where it's easy to stick Donald into that. That being said, I really don't want him sitting here two weeks doing nothing but pinch-hitting and playing late-game first base defense.

"You can anticipate he'll get a start in Arizona."

Lutz played in 34 games for the Reds last year. He hit .241 with a home run and eight RBI. He feels better equipped to compete this time around.

"I definitely feel more confident," he said. "My first start was exciting. But I just went through my routine. I felt like I belonged here. Last year, everything was so awesome to see. Big league stadiums, everything like that. I feel much more comfortable this year."